Strictly speaking, this book has no business being discussed on a blog about Literature (and neither will the next one I review) but it is a book that would greatly benefit Literature-lovers-turned-would-be-novelists. And Literature students often find themselves in writing classes and reading books about writing. As far as that genre goes, this is probably one of the more useful titles out there. It would save a lot of unpublished writers a lot of wasted time and effort. (Lest you think I'm talking down to unpublished writers, bear in mind that I count myself among their number.)

How Not to Write a Novel is a hilarious handbook that shows its readers how to write novels that will guarantee they will never be published. From dialogue and settings to soapboxes and thesaurus abuse, each aspect of writing a novel is covered. Every "rule" includes an example and as the book goes on the examples get ever more amusing. Even the back cover copy opens with an example that sets the tone for the book:

"What do you think of my fiction book writing?" the aspiring novelist extorted.

"Darn," the editor hectored, in turn. "I can not publish your novel! It is full of what we in the business call 'really awful writing.'"

"But how shall I absolve this dilemma? I have already read every tome available on how to write well and get published!" The writer tossed his head about, wildly.

"It might help," opined the blonde editor, helpfully, "to ponder how NOT to write a novel, so you might avoid the very thing!"

Now, if you're an aspiring author and you have a sense of humor, this book can be a useful aid. As I read it, I recognized some problems with my own writing and will be able to watch for those problems as I write and revise. But if you are an extremely sensitive writer who can't take advice and can't take a joke, you might be better off avoiding this title. I also realized that I have read a number of modern books in the past five years that suffer from some of the many mistakes described. So even published authors could benefit from reading this tongue-in-cheek look at poor writing.